The Region

History Journey

The dispersal of people to other lands is usually a consequence of events in their place of origin – competition for resources, conflict and wars...

Coastal exploration by Bass and Flinders in 1797 led to the discovery of Bass Strait, the separation between the Australian mainland and Van Diemen’s Land, which meant that ships could bypass Hobart town. The existence of a safe haven for ships at Twofold Bay on this coast elevated the importance of this region for coastal shipping.

The contact between the Indigenous people of Australia and the newcomers is a significant part of the history of this country and this region. The interaction between the Indigenous people and the settlers, despite good intentions, was often marred by mutual ignorance and by the devastating impact of diseases brought by the newcomers from the northern hemisphere.

The Indigenous people of the region, the European settlers, their towns, their stories and the heritage they have left behind are described below.